Leh is run by tourism don't drop - Amir Khan

"What has happened has happened. But things are being brought back to normal. Leh is mainly run by tourism and I would ask you not to drop plans of visiting this place because of the cloudburst. Even if you are planning to make a trip later, please come to Leh." This was how Aamir Khan reacted today on seeing the condition of The Druk White Lotus School where the film star shot for his superhit 3 Idiots, tweaking the film's popular dialogue "Aal izz well" to reflect the ground situation.

The school, which was damaged in the devastating cloudburst nearly two weeks ago, shot into the limelight after it was featured as Khan's character Rancho's school in the film. Khan, 45, has a special attachment with the school, about 15km from Leh on the Leh-Manali highway.

Khan, who rushed here at the first available opportunity, visited the school which suffered heavy damage owing to the cloudburst on the intervening night of August 5 and 6, and some other villages as far as 70km from Leh town.Asked if he would repeat the famous dialogue from 3 Idiots, "Aal izz well", Khan said, "All is not well. But for the sake of humanity one should help others. One should raise the morale of others."

The school, which has about 800 students on its rolls, had shot to fame after Khan's character in 3 Idiots, Ranchhoddas Shyamaldas Chanchad, a brilliant engineering student, is shown as having started a school in Ladakh.

"Actually the school is not Rancho's. It was set up by Fungsuk Wangdo, the real name of the character that I was playing in the film," Khan said.

"One part of the country is suffering and it is our duty to help the people out," he said. "One should donate whatever one can within the best of his abilities .

The actor said he, too, will donate a sum "well within my means" to the fund but did not disclose the exact amount.He said he will also ask his Hindi film industry colleagues, once he goes back to Mumbai, to donate to the relief fund. "The film industry never shies away from helping out in national disasters," he said.

The actor, who was almost the ambassador for the district, said he will also donate to the school because he has a personal connection to it as his film was shot there though he himself never filmed in its premises.

He also appealed to people across the country to come and visit Leh which, he said, was like “paradise”.

Himalayan paradise

SYEDA FARIDA

Leh is a beautiful place for a quiet holiday. From the people to the scenery everything is awesome. Leh was recently in the news when disaster struck. Read on to find out more about the place…

For centuries, Leh has been an important stopover on the trade route along the Indus Valley. The old town of Leh has been added to the World Monuments Fund's list of 100 most endangered sites because of the increased rainfall and the other effects of climate change. Within the old town there is also neglect and a change in settlement patterns which are a threat to long-term preservation of the site. Leh has a cold desert climate with long, harsh winters with temperatures well below the freezing point. The weather during the remaining months is usually fine. The flash floods of August 8 resulted in great loss of life and devastation.

* * *

It's a high altitude desert, so it hardly ever rains. It receives less than five inches of precipitation a year and that is in snow. So when there was heavy downpour in the first week of August it was a surprise to everyone. A cloudburst over Leh that lasted about two hours caused extensive damage to this beautiful town. The rain, triggered by a cloudburst happened around midnight destroying hospitals, bus terminals, radio station transmitter, telephone exchange and mobile phone towers and the airport. But apparently it was a disaster waiting to happen. Even last year, visitors say that it rained more than it snowed. It was a problem, because the region is dependent on meltwater for irrigation.

Pangong Leh :Moody, yet serene.

Is it all a part of the global warming phenomenon? Or as Thomas Friedman, New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize winning author, says it is all “global weirding” where the weather gets strange and unpredictable. Cities and countries are forced to deal with natural disasters and no one can be sure of what the future will be like. Moscow, Canada, Australia, Pakistan are some of the places where they have experienced weird weather with a heatwave, heavy rains, drought and floods.

Morning :Off to school.

As it hardly ever rains in Leh, most houses have been built with mud. So the damage is great and it is going to take a long time for the city to be rebuilt.

A draft of cold wind gently nudges you as you approach this high altitude cold desert destination nestled in the Great Himalayan Range. Open for a few months to tourists, Ladakh can be reached via high altitude passes — Zoji La from the Kashmir side and Rohtang and Tanglang La on the Manali side. The name Ladakh is thus derived from these passes ( La meaning pass and dakh meaning related to). These mountain passes were crucial for the trade routes and were used by caravans in the olden days. For the rest of the year, apart from early June to late August, this place is land-locked with the rivers and lakes frozen. Winter temperature can go down to -20° C.

Leh is the capital of Ladakh. Packed with tourists mostly international, this city offers a panoramic view of the Himalayas. Shopping centres such as the Old Fort Road are a hub of activity with vendors selling semi-precious stones and woollens. Restaurants offer yummy thupkas, momos and ‘gur gur' chai.

Leh is bound by Tibet on its northern side and the influence of Tibetan culture is obvious. A typical Ladakhi homestay or guest house allows you a glimpse of their culture as you mingle with the family and learn a few more words than the popular greeting ‘ Juley'. The guest houses are also available in remote places such as Deskit — the part of the ancient silk route. The double humped Bactrian camels in the rolling sand dunes nearby at Hundar is a testimony to the fact.

Hot springs and palaces

White sand greets you in Hundar that is reached after crossing the famous Khardung-La pass. At 18,300 feet this pass boasts of the highest motorable road in the world. Here Army officers greet you with herbal tea to reduce altitude sickness. At Panamik there are hot springs and incidentally this is the last village on the silk route. Two of the spectacular rivers —Indus and Zanskar — merge a little above the entrance to Leh before they flow into Pakistan as the Sindhu.

Different facets : Art and leisure.

Apart from the adventure activities such as treks and rafting and the walk on frozen rivers in winter, Ladakh offers an insight into the Vajrayana form of Buddhism with spectacular statues of the Buddha. Impressive monasteries such as the Hemis, Spituk and Matho stand out for their murals, thangka paintings as well as the monastic festivals that fall during various parts of the regional calendar. Palaces such as Shey built by the early rulers of the region have stood the test of time and offer an insight into the traditional architecture of the region. During the summer months there is archery and polo, again a legacy from the 17th Century Namgyal rulers.

And for the nature lovers, nothing can come as close as to Pangong Tso lake. A drop of blue in the moon-like topography, this lake on the Indo-Chinese border is situated at an altitude of 14,000 feet. The colour of the water seems to change from a grey to blue to a purple across the day reflecting the Changchenmo and Pangong range around.

Tso-moriri, off the Manali-Leh road is a popular breeding ground for bare-headed goose, Brahmini duck and the brown-tailed gull. Other wildlife native to this region is the yak as also the sheep known for their pashmina wool.

Celebrations at the Hemis monastery : Buddhist monks dance at the Hemis festival.

One cannot have enough of this picture perfect region but will carry back warm memories of the hospitality of these people.

* * *

Cloudburst over Leh

It's a high altitude desert, so it hardly ever rains. It receives less than five inches of precipitation a year and that is in snow. So when there was heavy downpour in the first week of August it was a surprise to everyone. A cloudburst over Leh that lasted about two hours caused extensive damage to this beautiful town. The rain, triggered by a cloudburst happened around midnight destroying hospitals, bus terminals, radio station transmitter, telephone exchange and mobile phone towers and the airport. But apparently it was a disaster waiting to happen. Even last year, visitors say that it rained more than it snowed. It was a problem, because the region is dependent on meltwater for irrigation.

Flash floods : A village destroyed.

Is it all a part of the global warming phenomenon? Or as Thomas Friedman, New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize winning author, says it is all "global weirding" where the weather gets strange and unpredictable. Cities and countries are forced to deal with natural disasters and no one can be sure of what the future will be like. Moscow, Canada, Australia, Pakistan are some of the places where they have experienced weird weather with a heatwave, heavy rains, drought and floods.

As it hardly ever rains in Leh, most houses have been built with mud. So the damage is great and it is going to take a long time for the city to be rebuilt.

An Appeal

                   As you all know, on August 6th the Leh area was hit by a cloud burst, an event which has caused whole villages to be ravaged and entire families are believed to be still buried under the mud. With the deep bonding that we at Isha Tours have with Ladakh and its people, we wish to help them get back on their feet quickly. We have spent the last few days trying to get to grips with the ground reality in Leh and our researches have made us realize that immediate relief in the form of medicines, groceries and clothes is being provided for by the army.

But these are only short term measures; eventually the citizens of Leh and the surroundings will have to get back to rebuilding their shattered lives. However August is the end of the summer and now the locals have to gear up for the winter. Most of our regular drivers and transporters have either lost or damaged their vehicles. Some hotels have also been badly damaged.  As the tourist season is over these people have no hopes of earning their livelihood in the near future, and after much thought it seems that the best way in which we can help is by donating money. This will help in the long term rehabilitation of the people of Leh.  

We appeal to all of you to donate whatever amount is possible for the people of Ladakh. The donated funds will go directly to our contacts in Leh and the surrounding areas –to our guides, drivers, hotel staff. No government agency or middlemen will be involved in this exercise.  The money will help them rebuild their homes and lives. In this way we hope to repay our debt to the land which has given so many of us a chance to enjoy the beauty of the pristine Ladakh Himalayas.

Mr Atmaram Parab will be flying to Leh on the 18^th of August and we request you to send in your donations before that date to facilitate the disbursement of the funds to the right people.

This is an informal attempt at fund collection purely on humanitarian grounds , because of our 10 year relationship with Ladakh and Leh, hence no formal receipts will be issued . But a letter of thanks for the money received will be given to every individual contributor (with the amount of contribution mentioned) to serve as proof of receipt.

Funds in the form of cash or cheque can be handed over at our offices in Thane, Dadar and Borivali .Cheques will have to be made out in the name of ISHA TOURS. . For those who wish to transfer funds Online :-

SBI Current  Acc NO : 31077059976

Account Name -   ISHA TOURS .

The ISFC code :- SBIN0005354.

In the case of Online transfer kindly mail or Sms the details (alongwith Name, Contact details and amount transferred) to us so as to enable us to make a note and issue a letter for the same.

For any Queries our addresses and contact nos are as Follows:

Thane: 1A , Murlidhar CHS, Behind Godbole Hospital, Brahman Soc, Naupada, Thane west. Ms 

Vidya Parab  - 09320231910

Dadar- Hendre Castle, Opp Bharat Petroleum Pump , Gokhale Road (North) , Dadar West, Mumbai.  Ms Smita Rege Tel - 09320031910

Borivali– 103 Sai Adarsh, Plot no 447, Off Link road, Borivali (West) 

Ms Anila Naik Tel – 09324531910

TEAM ISHA TOURS.

Atmparab2004@yahoo.com

Smita.ishatour@gmail.com

पर्यटकांनो घाबरू नका.

(आत्माराम परब यांचा, लोकसत्ता, रविवार, ८ ऑगस्ट २०१० मधला लेख)

atmparab2004@yahoo.com 
जम्मू-काश्मीरचा लेह-लडाख हा प्रांत आणि निसर्गाशी खेळ हे एक समीकरणच बनलं आहे. वर्षांचे सहा-सात महिने इतर जगापासून तुटलेला हा प्रांत उन्हाळ्याच्या चार-पाच महिन्यांतच रस्ता मार्गाने देशाच्या संपर्कात राहतो. श्रीनगर-लेह हा जवळजवळ ४४० कि.मी. असलेला राष्ट्रीय महामार्ग आणि लेह-मनाली हा दुसरा राष्ट्रीय महामार्ग या दोनच बाजूंनी या प्रांतात जाता येतं. जसे हे मार्ग शीतकाळात बंद असतात तसच इथलं जीवनही या दरम्यान ठप्प झालेलं असतं. तीबेटच्या पठारावरून येणारे अतीशीत वारे जसे त्या दरम्यान संपूर्ण लडाख खोऱ्याला गारठवून टाकतात तसंच उत्तर-पूर्वेला काराकोरम रांगा, दक्षिण-पूर्वेला हिमालयाच्या रांगा आणि गाभात असलेल्या ट्रान्स हिमालयन रांगांवर फक्त बर्फाचंच राज्य असतं. अशा विषम परिस्थितीमुळे हिवाळ्यात एखादं तृणपातही तिथे शोधूनसुद्धा सापडत नाही. पण आता चालू असलेल्या उन्हाळ्याच्या दिवसांत तिथलं वातावरण आल्हाददायक असतं. याच दिवसांत तिथला भाग देशी विदेशी पर्यटकांनी गजबजलेला असतो. ‘इशा टूर्स’चे पंचावन्न पर्यटक कालच अकरा दिवसांची सहल यशस्वीरीत्या पूर्ण करून परतले आणि एक दिवस उलटायच्या आत लेहमध्ये झालेल्या ढगफुटीची बातमी येऊन थडकली. बातम्यांसाठी आसुसलेल्या इलेक्ट्रॉनिक मीडियाने मग लगेच त्या बातमीचा ताबा घेतला आणि लोकांना घाबरवून सोडण्याची आणखी  एक संधी साधली.
लडाखशी मी स्वत: गेली पंधरा-सोळा वर्षे सर्वार्थाने बांधला गेलो आहे, समरस झालो आहे. आता झालेली ढगफुटी नि:संशय असाधारण अशीच आहे पण ती अपवादात्मकही आहे. लडाख प्रांतात संपूर्ण वर्षांत पाच मि.मी. एवढाच पाऊस पडतो आणि बहुतांशी तो बर्फवृष्टीच्या स्वरूपात असतो. नजीकच्या इतिहासात अशी घटना प्रथमच घडली आहे. राजस्थानात येणारे पूर आणि आता लेहला झालेली ही ढगफुटी हा जागतिक तापमान वाढीचा परिणाम आहे. या काळात पर्वतमाथ्यावरचं बर्फ वितळून तिथल्या नद्यांना पाणी आलेलं असतं. पृथ्वीची रचना होताना सर्वात नंतर अस्तित्वात आलेला असा हा भाग असल्याने तिथली माती ठिसूळ आहे. दरवर्षी बर्फ वितळतं तेव्हा बरोबर मातीही घेऊन येतं. तिथले पर्वत कच्चीढांग (ठिसूळ मातीचे) म्हणूनच ओळखले जातात. गुरुवारच्या रात्री झालेल्या ढगफुटीने आलेल्या प्रपाताबरोबर हे कच्चे कडेही वाहून खाली आले आणि सखल भागांत असलेल्या इमारतींवर कोसळले. लडाखला झाडं अपवादात्मक ठिकाणीच बघायला मिळतात. कारण हा रूक्ष असाच प्रदेश आहे आणि त्यातच त्या भागाचं सौंदर्य लपलेलं आहे.
पंधरा वर्षांपूर्वी मुंबई-लडाख-मुंबई असा मोटरसायकलवरून मी केलेला प्रवास म्हणजे एक वेडं साहसच होतं. त्या वेळेचे आलेले अनुभव हा या लेखाचा विषय नाही पण त्या पहिल्याच भेटीत मी लडाखच्या प्रेमात पडलो आणि त्यानंतर निरंतर जातच राहिलो. शंभरहून अधिक वेळा लडाखला गेलो असेन पण अजूनही लडाखविषयीचं मला असलेलं आकर्षण तसूभरही कमी झालेलं नाही. मी जो काही उभा आडवा भारत देश फिरलो त्यातलं जे ठिकाण कायमचं मनात घर करून राहिलं ते म्हणजे लडाख. ज्याचं नाव घेताच माझ्या चित्तवृत्ती प्रफुल्लित होतात ते म्हणजे लडाख. चेहऱ्यावर असंख्य सुरकुत्या पण डोक्यावर आठय़ा नसलेल्या हसतमुख लोकांचा प्रांत म्हणजे लडाख आणि शेकडो मैलपर्यंत झाडं सोडाच पण तृणपात्यांचासुद्धा पत्ता नसलेला, पण देखणा असलेला प्रदेश म्हणजे लडाख. अख्खा देश, अगदी श्रीनगरसारखा भागही जेव्हा उष्णतेने हैराण झालेला असतो तेव्हा शीतल गारवा साठवून असलेला इलाखा म्हणजे लडाख. वनश्रींची शोभा नाही. त्यामुळे फुलं नाहीत पण रंगाच्या असंख्य छटा लेवून प्रथमदर्शनीच प्रेमात पाडणारं ते म्हणजे लडाख आणि घर, अंगण, खिडकीमधूनही बर्फाच्छादित शिखरांचं दर्शन घडवतं ते लडाख. अशा या लडाख प्रांतात मी जवळजवळ सर्व ऋतूंमध्ये गेलो आहे आणि मला ते बदलणारं लडाखचं रूप कायमच भुरळ घालत आलं आहे. 
लडाखी जनता सोडली तर त्यांच्यापेक्षा संख्येने जास्त असलेले आपले जवान त्या परिस्थितीला तोंड देतच सीमेचं रक्षण करत असतात. खारदुंगला पासवरून सियाचीनकडे जाणारा रस्ता हा जगातला सर्वात उंच मोटरवाहतुकीचा रस्ता, तिकडे आपले जवान खडा पहारा देत असतात. अशा दुर्गम भागात राहून देशाच्या सीमांचं रक्षण करणं किती कठीण आहे हे त्या ठिकाणी गेल्याशिवाय समजत नाही. 
‘बॉर्डर रोड ऑर्गनायझेशन’ (ब्रो) हा लष्कराचा एक विभाग कशाप्रकारे काम करतो हे प्रभाकर पेंढरकर यांच्या ‘रारंग ढांग’ या पुस्तकात चांगल्या प्रकारे आलं आहे. कित्येक मैल मनुष्यवस्ती नाही आणि मध्येच कुठेतरी ब्रोची माणसं रस्ते बनवत असतात ते पाहून हे इथे आले कुठून असा प्रश्न पडतो. दुर्गम म्हटलं तरी आपली जीप त्यांनी बनवलेल्या ज्या रस्त्यांवरून जाते तेव्हा तो रस्ता इथल्या मुंबई-पुण्याच्या रस्त्यांपेक्षा चांगला असल्याचं आपणाला जाणवतं. या रस्त्यांचीपण कहाणीच असते. किंबहुना तिथला प्रत्येक दगड जर जिवंत झाला तर तो आपल्या कितीतरी हृदयद्रावक कहाण्या वर्णन करून सांगेल. काय आहे दरवर्षी, अगदी दरवर्षी हे रस्ते नीट करताना, त्या आधी ते बर्फाखालून शोधून काढताना आपले शेकडो सैनिक प्राणाला मुकतात. सगळीकडे फक्त पांढरंशुभ्र बर्फ पसरलेलं असतं तेव्हा त्यांच्या लक्षातच येत नाही की कुठे रस्ता आहे आणि कुठे ठिसूळ बर्फ. मग एखादा कटर, ट्रॅक्टर खोल दरीत जवानांसहित कोसळतो आणि कपाळमोक्ष होतो. रस्त्याच्या कडेला अशा जवानांच्या आठवणीप्रीत्यर्थ जागोजागी दगड लावलेले आहेत. हेच ‘ब्रो’चे जवान आता बंद पडलेले रस्ते तात्काळ सुरू करतील यात शंकाच नाही. ‘‘ईश्वर आणि सैनिक या दोघांचे आपल्याला संकटाच्या वेळीच स्मरण होते. त्या संकटात मदत मिळाल्यानंतर ईश्वराचा विसर पडतो आणि सैनिकाची उपेक्षा होते.’’ 
इथले लोकही तसेच जिवाला जीव देणारे. लेह शहर, खरं तर ते खेडंच पण बाजारपेठ आणि त्यातल्या त्यात जवळ जवळ असलेल्या इमारती, घरं, हॉटेल्समुळे हा भाग सतत गजबजलेला असतो. याच भागात ढगफुटीच्या पाण्याचा लोंढा आल्याने एवढय़ा मोठय़ा प्रमाणात त्याची  दखल घेतली गेली. मालमत्तेचं आणि जीविताचं नुकसान झालं. ढगफुटीमुळे नुकसान होतं ते उत्तरांचल आणि हिमाचलमध्ये, लडाखमध्ये प्रथमच असं घडतं आहे. काही मिनिटांतच सर्व घडून जातं. दोन वर्षांपूर्वी कारगील-लेह मार्गावर लेहपासून ६० कि.मी.वर असलेल्या ससपूल भागात पाण्याच्या प्रवाहात रस्त्यावरचा पूल वाहून गेला होता आणि मी पर्यटकांसोबत अडकलो होतो. लेहहून माझा मित्र पद्मा ताशी याला बोलावून घेतलं. त्याने गाडय़ा आणल्या आणि आम्ही पुढे लेहला रवाना झालो. या वर्षीही मे महिन्यात अनपेक्षित अशी बर्फवृष्टी झाली आणि लेह-मनाली मार्ग बंद झाला. 
दरवर्षी मे महिन्यातच वाहतुकीसाठी खुला होणारा लेह-मनाली मार्ग यावर्षी पंधरा जूननंतर पुन्हा वाहतुकीसाठी खुला झाला. पर्यटकांना तो मार्ग बंद झाल्याने सहल संपल्यावर पुन्हा श्रीनगर मार्गे परतावं लागलं. 
म्हणूनच लडाखचं पर्यटन हे साहसी पर्यटनात मोडतं. आपण निसर्गाशी एकरूप झालो तर त्याचा आनंद नक्कीच उपभोगता येतो. लेहच्या परिस्थितीत लवकरच सुधारणा होईल यात मला तरी शंका वाटत नाही. तिथे जाणाऱ्या पर्यटकांच्या ओघात खंड पडता कामा नये.